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He forced himself to relax—physically and mentally. She had another five months and one week here. He was positive, during that time, he'd be able to...to what? Change her mind? Show her that
he
was the better brother?

Mitch shook his head and stood. How could he stop himself from mentally competing with his brother? It was an old habit, one which he hadn't liked then and certainly didn't like now. It was childish. Elizabeth was not a toy they could fight over. She was a living, breathing, desirable woman who came to life in his arms and as such deserved an honest, hardworking man...not squabbling boys.

He wouldn't mention Marcus to her but if she wanted to talk about him and his brother, he would answer what he could. After all, wasn't that still a way to get to know each other better?

He certainly hoped so and he also hoped he was strong enough to carry it through.

During the following week, Elizabeth found herself growing more and more confused when it came to her personal fife, so she opted not to think about it.

The Davies twins, who were both fine after their traumatic ordeal, had gone to stay with Daphne and her mother who were friends of Leeanne's. Cameron had suffered multiple internal injuries, including a ruptured spleen and an appendix which had burst on the operating table. Two of his right toes had required amputation but the others were now repaired and reported to be healing slowly.

Leeanne had stayed in Adelaide a bit longer, concerned for her husband, and would be transferred back to Coober Pedy early the next week.

On Sunday, Elizabeth and Mitch had removed Maude's drain and a few days later her mother had been discharged home where Elizabeth was keeping a close eye on her. Maude had negotiated the opal deal from her hospital bed so by the time she arrived home she was ready for the prescribed rest.

'I'm glad you're agreeing to take things more slowly,' Elizabeth said on Friday night as she prepared dinner, her mother sitting down watching her. 'I thought I was going to struggle to get you to behave.'

Maude chuckled. 'I must be getting older.'

'Not that anyone would notice,' Elizabeth replied. The phone' rang and when Elizabeth made no move to pick it up, Maude answered.

'Hello?' She paused. 'Just a moment.' She covered the mouthpiece. 'It's Marcus.'

Elizabeth shook her head. 'Please, tell him I'm not available.'

Maude passed on the message before disconnecting the call. 'Did he ring much while I was in hospital?'

'Every night. I don't mind talking to him once in a while but, really, it's starting to become suffocating.'

Maude nodded. 'Understandable. Does he know who I am?'

'He knows you're my housemate.'

Maude nodded again and this time Elizabeth caught the sad look that crossed her mother's face. 'It's not like that, Mum. I'm not ashamed of you. Far from it.' Elizabeth sighed. 'It's just that I wanted to escape for a while. That's why I came here. I wanted time away from Marcus and Dad, and I know as soon as Marcus discovers you're my mother, he'll be telling Dad and then I'll have him on the telephone. And I don't want that aggravation.'

'I know. I know.' Maude walked back into the kitchen and gave her daughter a hug. 'I know it's hard, baby. I know you love me.'

'I do.'

The phone rang again and Elizabeth groaned. 'I'll get it.' Maude replied. She answered again and once more covered the mouthpiece. 'It's Mitch.'

'I don't want to talk to him either.'

'I'm sorry, Mitch, she... Oh, you heard her. She's cooking dinner so perhaps... Of course. Yes, I'll pass on the message. Bye.'

Elizabeth looked expectantly at her mother after Maude had replaced the receiver. 'He says he'll pick you up at seven o'clock tomorrow night for your date.'

Elizabeth closed her eyes and whimpered.

Maude took a ginger beer out of the fridge and opened it.

'What's wrong with going out with Mitch? I thought you two were getting along like a house on fire.'

'Oh, more than that.' Elizabeth angrily stirred her Bolognese sauce. 'We're getting along like an Australian bush fire that is raging completely out of control.'

Maude chuckled. 'Sounds promising.'

'He wants me to marry him.'

Maude spluttered and choked on her mouthful of drink. Elizabeth patted her back as her mother continued to cough. 'What?' she asked weakly, her eyebrows hitting her hairline.

'Last Saturday night he said he wanted to marry me. Didn't ask me, or anything like that. He's just as bad as his brother.'

'Brother?'

'Marcus.'

'Marcus is Mitch's brother!' Maude slumped down into a chair and stared at her daughter in shock.

'Yes. Small world, isn't it?'

'Now I understand why you don't want to talk to either of them.'

'I'm so confused, Mum. I really like Marcus. He's a nice man, if a little overbearing at times, yet he is calling himself my fiancé when he's never actually proposed.'

'Are you interested?'

'I don't know! I think if I'd stayed in England we probably would have drifted into marriage at some point in the future. He has a lot going for him. He's good-looking, he has a good job, he's always polite and attentive towards me and he also has Dad's approval.'

'But does he ring your bell?'

'Mother!'

'It's an important question to ask yourself, Liz. He does sound like a nice man but does he stir your emotions? Does he make you want to soar with the eagles or slump down into a pit of despair, or both? Turn the stove off and come and sit with me.'

Elizabeth did as she was asked. Maude took her hand in hers. 'I loved your father, Lizzie. I really did but it wasn't the Jove a woman should have for her husband It was more of a...companionable love. Our families had always been friends and we'd grown up with each other. After we were married, though, things went wrong. I don't know whether or not he ever loved me in a different way or whether he just went through with the marriage because it was expected of him. But I'll tell you something, coming to Australia and meeting Stu was the best thing I ever did. With him, I...I felt as though I could do anything. It was liberating. It was real and it was honest. Above all, it
must
be an honest love.'

Maude's eyes were glazed over with tears. 'When Stu died, so did a part of my heart. I honestly believe that if you and I hadn't been in contact at that time, I would have died of a broken heart. But I hung on, knowing that you were out there and that even though it was only in the form of letters at that time, you needed me. Now you're here and I can
really
be here to support you.'

Tears welled in Elizabeth's eyes and slipped silently down her cheeks.

'I don't want you to be unhappy, Liz, but I also don't want you lying to yourself just so you can avoid hurting others. If Marcus makes you want to fly, that's wonderful, but from what you've told me you
don't
feel that way with him and I think it's time you gave it some real thought. Mitch is also in this equation and although I might be biased towards him because I know what a fine person he is, you need to make the decision for yourself. You can't ignore them for ever and you can't string them along either. Both of them deserve the truth from you.'

'It's just so...so...' Elizabeth sniffed and stood to get a tissue. She blew her nose. 'When you talk like this, it's easy for me to make a choice and that choice is Mitch. Then I think I'm not being fair to Marcus because he's not here and all I'm getting from him are annoying telephone calls saying he misses me and how he wants me to come home. He even told me the other night that he's found a legal way to terminate my contract earlier. I know he has good intentions and I can understand why he's doing it but...' She trailed off and spread her arms wide.

'But he isn't asking you what
you
want?'

'Exactly. However, when I think about returning to England, I can just picture Mitch being on the telephone, telling me how much he misses me and that he wants me to come back.' She sat down again. 'I feel like telling them both to go jump. I came here to spend time with you, not to be the winner's prize between two brothers.'

'Then why don't we concentrate on that for a while?' Maude suggested. 'Go out to dinner with Mitch tomorrow night—'

'And you can come.' Elizabeth's eyes lit with merriment. 'I'm sure he won't mind.'

Maude laughed. 'I'm sure he would.'

'Well, it's either both of us or nothing,' she said firmly. 'And he can like it or lump it.'

But when Mitch turned up the following evening to pick her up, he wasn't at all put out.

'Great,' he said, putting an arm around both women. 'I get to take out my two favourite ladies.'

Elizabeth was surprised and at first thought he was just saying that to be polite, but as the evening went on, she realised he really meant it. He laughed and joked with both of them and the three of them had a wonderful time. He accepted the invitation to return to Maude's house for coffee and they chatted until late.

'Come, Lizzie,' he said, pulling her to her feet. 'Your mother has yawned one too many times and I can take a hint. Walk me to the car and then tuck her up in bed.'

Elizabeth smiled, allowing herself to be led outside into the cool night. She shivered a little and Mitch immediately put his jacket around her shoulders. 'Thank you.'

'You're most welcome. I'm glad Maude came with us tonight although if we'd laughed any more, I think she
might
have popped some of her stitches.'

'They're all healing nicely but I might check them before she goes to bed tonight,' she said, recalling the way Maude had laughed so much she'd had tears streaming down her face.

Mitch leaned against his ute, taking hold of her jacket lapels and drawing her closer. His arms came about her as she snuggled in closer to his warmth. 'It was a good evening, Lizzie.'

'Yes, it was.'

'It was good to see you so relaxed. You've been rather...preoccupied this week.'

'I've had a lot on my mind.'

He felt her tense in his arms. 'I'm not going to pressure you, Lizzie, so you can stop worrying. I am, however, going to kiss you...so you can start enjoying.' With that, he lowered his head to hers and Elizabeth lifted her chin so their lips could meet.

It was what she'd wanted all evening long and finally here was her reward. She sighed and leaned in closer, his arms holding her tighter, possessively as his mouth moved over hers. Instead of letting them both get out of control, he kept the pace slow and gentle and when he pulled back she sighed once more and rested her head against his chest. He was a man of his word. He wasn't going to pressure her and that knowledge made her feel...safe.

He kissed the top of her head. 'I'd better get going. If you stay out here any longer, you're going to freeze and so am I.'

Elizabeth reluctantly took a step away and smiled at him, handing back his jacket. 'I thought you'd be used to these cool desert nights.'

'I am, which is why I know when to go inside and get warm.' Mitch pressed another kiss to her lips. 'Sleep sweet, Lizzie.' She stayed in the driveway and waved as he drove off, a sickening feeling of loss spreading through him as he drove away. After he'd parked the car and headed into his home, he realised he was too late.

'Sleep sweet, Lizzie.' Those had been the words he'd said and on the tip of his tongue to follow those words had been, I love you.

Mitch didn't bother to turn on any lights and slumped into a chair in the darkness. Why hadn't he realised this sooner? He was in love with Lizzie! No. It had to be a mistake: he had his heart under control. But the longer he sat there, the more he realised he'd been lying to himself. His need to have Lizzie around was because he needed her more than he needed air to breathe and that scared him.

Elizabeth had expected Mitch to remain in his light, jovial manner of Saturday night, but as the following week wore on he became more and more elusive, almost to the point where she thought he might be avoiding her.

Now that Maude wasn't going to the mine every day, Elizabeth had transportation of her own so Mitch had stopped picking her up for work... and she missed it. She'd walked past the paediatric ward the previous day and had seen him dressed up as a clown, entertaining the Davies twins while their mother lay back in her bed, relaxing.

Why hadn't he asked her to be a part of it? Had he given up completely on the 'help Lizzie to become more spontaneous' club? The knowledge hurt and it was that, more than anything else, that convinced her he was avoiding her.

She said as much to Maude who also seemed surprised. 'Are you sure you're not imagining it? You yourself said that things had been rather busy at the clinics this week. You've had all those visiting specialists from Adelaide up and it's usually chaos at the hospital when they're there. Then there's also the fact that I can't work the mine and I think Mitch feels obliged to give me a hand.'

'Hmm.'

Marcus had called her twice that week and both times he'd told her how her father was still working from home. 'He misses you, Elizabeth. When was the last time you spoke to him?'

'Yesterday, Marcus, which you would already know as you've been working from his house.'

'Of course.' He cleared his throat and Elizabeth frowned. The connection was clearer tonight. The usual echo wasn't as prominent as it usually was. Perhaps it was because he was calling at a slightly later hour than usual.

'Have you thought any more about that loophole I discovered in your contract?'

'Yes. I'm learning a lot here and at the moment I don't think it would be advisable to do anything untoward. The Professor went to a great deal of trouble to help me secure this placement, Marcus, and it may reflect badly on the hospital if I leave earlier than planned. Besides, I would feel awful leaving them one doctor short.'

'But they'll be able to find a replacement. You're needed here. With me and your father. He's not well, I tell you. Not well at all.'